Railroad cross-tie.



E. A. SALTER.

RAILROAD CROSS TIE.

APPLlcAnoN FILED DEC. 20. I916.

Patented May 8, 1912.

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EDMOND A. SALTER, OF PROVENCIAL, LOUISIANA, ASSIGNOB OF ONE-HALF TO EUGENE H. HOLDER, F CYPRESS, LOUISIANA.

RAILROAD GROSS-TIE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 8, H917.

Application filed December 20, 1916. Serial No. 137,983.

and State of Louisiana, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Railroad Cross-Ties; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

The invention relates to improvements in railroad cross ties.

The object of the present invention is to improve the construction of metallic cross ties and to provide a simple practical and comparatively inexpensive railroad cross tie of strong and durable construction equipped with means for securely holding the rails and for effectually preventing the same from spreading or tilting under the lateral thrust of the wheels, particularly on curves.

A further object of the invention is to provide a cross tie of this character adapted to securely grip the ballast and capable of firmly maintaining itself in proper position thereon.

With these and other objects in view the invention consists in the construction and novel combination and arrangement of parts hereinafter fully described, illustrated in the accompanying drawings and pointed out in the claim hereto appended, it being understood that various changes in the form, proportion and minor details of construction may be resorted to without departing from the spirit or sacrificing any of the advantages of the invention.

In the drawing:

Figure 1 is a plan view of a metallic cross tie constructed in accordance with this invention.

Fig. 2 is a longitudinal sectional view of the same partly in elevation.

Fig. 3 is a transverse sectional view on the line 3-3 of Fig. 2.

Fig. & is a detail perspective view of one of the rail clamping plates.

Like numerals of reference designate corresponding parts in the several figures of the drawing.

In the accompanying drawing in which is illustrated the preferred embodiment of the invention, the metallic cross tie consists of a heavy plate or body of suitable metal stamped or otherwise formed and provided at its side and end edges with a' depending marginal flange 2 adapted to be embedded in the ballast of a road bed and forming a recess at the lower face of the cross tie to re ceive a portion of the ballast whereby the cross tie is securely maintained in proper position and is held against both endwise and lateral movement. The cross tie which may be varied in form to adapt it for use on various portions of a railroad track is provided at each end with integral upwardly extending lugs of rectangular form preferably formed by longitudinal and transverse incisions extending in opposite directions from the median plane of the cross tie and provided with openings 4 for the reception of cotter pins or keys 5 which secure clamping plates 6 on the upwardly extending lug of the cross tie. The clamping plates 6 which are preferably rectangular or oblong as clearly shown in Fig. 4 of the drawings are located at the inner and outer sides of the rails 7 and each plate is provided with a slot 8 for the coacting lug 3. The slot 8 is located intermediate of the ends of the clamping plate which has its engaging portion or end 9 arranged to partly engage the bottom flange of the rail 7. The clamping plate is provided at its other end with a depending tongue formed integral with the clamping plate by reducing the outer terminal portion thereof and bending the reduced portion downwardly at right angles. The tongues of the clamping plates are engaged with and extend through transverse slots 11 of the cross tie whereby the plates are held against sliding movement on the cross tie while the cotter pins or keys lock the plates against upward movement. The lugs 3 are spaced apart a distance equal to the width of the bottom flanges of the rails which fit against the inner opposed edges of the upwardly projecting lugs. The lugs serve as stops for the rails and also as fastening means for securing the clamping plates in engagement with the rails. The cross tie is preferably reduced in width at the central portion and the marginal flanges have inwardly curved concaved portions at the reduced central portion of the cross tie.

What is claimed is The combination of a cross tie provided with integral upwardly extending lugs sp aced apart a distance equal to the bottom flanges Cir of a rail and adapted to fit against the side edges of the same to form stops for the said rail, said lugs being provided with openings and the said cross tie having transverse slots spaced from the lugs, clamping plates provided between their ends with slots to receive the said lugs and having engaging terminal portions at one end and provided at the other end with reduced depending tongues extending through the transverse slots of the In testimony whereof I afiix my signature 15 in presence of two witnesses.

EDMOND A. SALTER. Witnesses:

ST. ANN fRUDHOMIE, J. D. RUSAN.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. C. 

